Double Knot

Michael Schulson's Midtown Village spot is two completely different restaurants depending on when you show up. By day it's a coffee bar and fast-casual lunch counter; by night the real draw is the candlelit basement izakaya, a 19th-century brick cellar that feels like it was built for secrets. Down there, a 10-course tasting menu runs around $65 and includes things like edamame dumplings in sake truffle broth and robatayaki-grilled proteins that justify every penny. The upstairs cocktail lounge is worth a stop on its own, especially during happy hour when $7 spicy tuna rolls and $4 charred chicken thighs make it one of the better deals in the city.